REPOST: Should I buy LED or CFL light bulbs?

According to Treehuggers' Michael Graham Richard, the answer varies but lies on when the bulbs are purchased. While the light-emitting diode bulbs of today now match compact fluorescent bulbs, they may very well outpace them in the future.

Image source: mnn.com

We already know that incandescent light-bulbs are on the way out because they're incredibly wasteful, being better at producing heat than light. And most people know that LEDs have started replacing compact fluorescents (CFLs) and should become the next gold standard for producing light. But are LED bulbs truly better than CFLs? If so, by how much? To really know, it's not enough to just look at lumens-per-watt efficiency; you have to do a full life-cycle analysis to truly figure out which one comes out on top when everything is taken into account — including manufacturing, usage, transportation, how many bulbs are used over time for those that don't last as long, etc.

That's what the U.S. Department of Energy did in this very thorough analysis, and the agency's findings are interesting.

Image source: mnn.com

“The average life-cycle energy consumption of LED lamps and CFLs are similar, at approximately 3,900 MJ per 20 million lumen-hours. This is about one quarter of the incandescent lamp energy consumption — 15,100 MJ per functional unit. By 2015, if LED lamps meet their performance targets, their life-cycle energy is expected to decrease by approximately one half. In addition, based on this analysis, the 'use' phase of incandescent, compact fluorescent and LED lamps is the most energy intensive phase, on accounting for approximately 90 percent of total life-cycle energy. This is followed by the manufacturing and transport phases, respectively with transport representing less than one percent of life-cycle energy for all lamp types.”

So CFLs and LEDs are about the same on an LCA basis right now, though there are other reasons why one might want to pick LEDs. For example, LEDs are less fragile than CFLs, and they don't release mercury when broken, they last about three times longer, and they turn on more quickly.

Image source: mnn.com

But the real leap forward will come in about two years when next-generation LEDs come to market. We've written about one by Philips that gets 200 lumens/watt. These should be about twice as good as current LEDs and CFLs, allowing LEDs to finally declare a decisive victory over fluorescents.

For a broad selection of high-quality LED and CFL bulbs, along with other lighting and electrical fixtures, visit the Sureway International website.

REPOST: EPRI Reveals Its Worldview on the Integrated Electrical Grid

Nonprofit organization Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) presents its systematic view of the future of integrated electric grid in the article below.

Image Source: greentechmedia.com

 

The electricity business of 2024 is going to look a lot different than the situation today -- and the utility industry knows it.

The Electric Power Research Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is essentially the research arm of the electrical utility industry. The group's recent report, The Integrated Grid, is the first phase of a larger effort to look at distributed energy resources on the grid edge and their impact on business as usual. The report provides a technical rationale for staying plugged into the grid and a cogent argument in favor of capacity fees and charges for grid services. The authors also exhibit a fondness for smart inverters.

We spoke with EPRI's Jeffrey Hamel, the executive director of the Power Delivery and Utilization Team which authored the report (which can be downloaded here).

"The Integrated Grid can mean a lot of things to a lot of different people," said Hamel. But to him, it means "how DG resources, generation and storage all come together."

The report covers distributed energy resources such as "small natural-gas-fueled generators, combined heat and power plants, electricity storage, and solar photovoltaics on rooftops and in larger arrays connected to the distribution system."

In a presentation earlier this month, Hamel acknowledged that "there is a massive change underfoot." He said that all load growth was being met by renewables and natural gas. "We have to consider [what happens] when solar is not on-line" so "we may not have to build vast amounts of fast-ramp generation for a 7 p.m. system peak" He asks, "How do we ensure that the grid is optimized at a system level so we are fully utilizing all of the resources available, from central station generation to distributed generation?"

That's the perspective The Integrated Grid is trying to provide, said Hamel. "We want to provide the distribution system operator with insight." He added that "it's not just distributed generation; storage is coming."

"What's happening at the edge of the grid will affect what's happening at the transmission level," said Hamel.

Hamel suggested that "an integrated grid allows higher penetration of renewables" and will prevent curtailment of wind and solar. Hamel notes that distributed generation "is not just about variable sources," adding, "We can see a future with more gas-based DG. But customers will still remain connected to the grid. The grid provides voltage quality and startup power."

He continued: "Being able to integrate DER [distributed energy resources] into the planning and operation of the system is how we can get value out of the system." He said that distributed generation has to be incorporated into the grid with "visibility and control of these resources" through a management system incorporating sensors, communications and voltage control technology.

"Part of the work we're doing is on interconnection standards," said Hamel. He cited the

IEEE 1547 DER interconnection standards working group and CPUC Rule 21. He said the team is watching German interconnection efforts with an eye toward smart inverters providing grid services such as voltage support, adding that "technology like smart inverters is already cost-effective."

Hamel suggested that "this type of innovation makes DG an enabler instead of a constraint."

What do utilities want?

Hamel didn't discuss rate structures during our conversation, but the report makes the case for the value of grid services and a need to revisit power market rules and rate structures. If EPRI is at all representative of its utility members, then here is what utilities want:

"Capacity-related costs must become a distinct element of the cost of grid-supplied electricity to ensure long-term system reliability." "Power market rules that ensure long-term adequacy of both energy and capacity" "A policy and regulatory framework to ensure that costs incurred to transform to an integrated grid are allocated and recovered responsibly, efficiently, and equitably." "New market frameworks using economics and engineering to equip investors and other stakeholders in assessing potential contributions of distributed resources to system capacity and energy costs."

Image Source: greentechmedia.com

 

The report claims that "the cost of supply and delivery capacity can account for almost 50% of the overall cost of electricity for an average residential customer. Traditionally, residential rate structures are based on metered energy usage. With no separate charge for capacity costs, the energy charge has traditionally been set to recover both costs. This mixing of fixed and variable cost recovery is feasible when electricity is generated from central stations, delivered through a conventional T&D system, and used with an electromechanical meter that measures energy use only by a single entity."

Image Source: greentechmedia.com

 

But that's not the case when distributed generation enters the equation. The rate structures forced by the widespread advent of DER (and seemingly accepted by EPRI) appear to further shift the role of the utility to that of grid services provider rather than kilowatt-hour supplier.

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